Our day began catching the 1:30 train from Derry to Belfast where we would enjoy visiting with Eleanor at Queen’s U. The relaxing rail ride took us away from our Derry friends into green fields and along coastal Northern Ireland, so pretty. Before we knew it, we arrived in Belfast and headed towards good old American Holiday Inn Express by a cool LondonZ style lorrie. Our stay was a de-luxe accommodation with full breakfast for the morning before we zip out to our Dublin coach. We checked in and made contact with Eleanor.

For the brief time we had, Eleanor escorted us through some high points of her school tour which she does for incoming Queen’s law students. She was awesome!

We cruised the streets and alleys of the campus towards signficant buildings of the city including downtown neighborhood shops and student haunts. The most impressive area for me was the alley called The Duke of York where talented artists created murals of famous Irish men and women, living and dead. A magnificent and colorful tribute.  After our jaunt, we three enjoyed breakfast for dinner, truly our last chance to have a full Irish breakfast of sausage, bacon, egg, potato hash, potato bread, beans, and fresh tomato and mushrooms.

When she deposited us back to our hotel, we said our goodbyes and gave our last hugs to sweet Eleanor. Makes me realize again how blessed we are to have such good friends from our Holy Names days. Cat and I had a wonderful time in Northern Ireland with Cora, Eleanor, and Kelly – they gave us so many priceless memories to take back home, duty free!! Slainte! We’ll be back again.

Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Sweet girls, talking, savoring Belfast

See anyone famous??

In the alley to The Duke of York

Our last day to enjoy Derry – we filled it with a thrift shop visits in the walled city to see if we could find a treasure piece to take home.

The “charity” stores focus on specific purposes – children’s hospital, cancer research – and do business side-by-side with the jewelers, Irish crafts, and café businesses. We poked around without luck and had a bite to eat. Irish stew with brown bread for me.

Cora and Kelly met up with us and the girls trekked back home. Cora had a couple of antique shops that could have what I’d hoped to find all afternoon, an Irish teapot. And we got lucky.  It’s silver with a scalloped pot, so eye-catching. Cora thinks it has ivory trim inset on the handle – a take home piece adopted by a grateful American.

Heading back to Clarence House, we decided to have our last dinner out. Lamb shank and pasta with cocktails – it’s nice to have a legal-aged daughter to dine with. Tomorrow, Belfast.

Irish stew for lunch.

A last look at Clarence House. Cora’s place is two doors away.

On our way to the rail station, farewell, Derry.

Today, Cora drove is to Omagh to visit the American Folk Park. I remember passing it during the bus ride. Hailed as the birthplace of an iconic Irish-American banker, Thomas Mellon, the park preserves the important history of Irish emigration. A beautiful, wooded walk-around plan lets you visit rebuilt and original home structures of the mid-19th century. One original building on the property is the homestead in which Mellon was born. Living history docents dressed in clothing of the time inform visitors on the significance of each building and family’s contribution to the community. Innovation, creativity, and honest hardiness of spirit fed the emigrants’ desires to persevere and achieve their Irish-American dreams. Our visit was time well spent.

Returning to Derry, the cloudiness brought some rain in the late afternoon, not long but refreshing. We had an early dinner together with Kelly at the nearby Masala Pizza Restaurant – no kidding. The family runs a takeaway pizza shop on street level and serves pizza and delicious Masala entrees in its 2nd-floor restaurant. Super delicious meal and great conversation over Kelly’s afternoon movie matinee, Transformers. She highly recommends it!

Later, Cora walked us up to the neighborhood pub for a late night drink. A less crowded and much quieter spot, we enjoyed the locals’ hideaway and had time to unwind before bedtime. Tomorrow is a day on our own in town.

Cat chats with curious feathered residents at the Mellon home. Notice the butter churn behind her.

A staged upstairs room, simple but useful.

A recreated village store and docent.

Still light at 10 pm.

We have arrived at the pub.

Cora took Eleanor to the train depot this morning – she had to return to Queen’s in Belfast but we would see her there at week’s end.  Cat and I spent the day doing laundry and having our own walk around. Two blocks away, we went to the River Foyle and headed towards the Peace Bridge, a pedestrian bridge across the Foyle uniting the Catholic and Protestant sides of Derry. We had sandwiches at a little cafe, then navigated back over to the Guildhall for a history lesson about old Londonderry’s birth as a town long ago.

Returning back to our house, we caught our breath, checked in with Cora and our drying laundry, then made dinner in Clarence House. The house is occupied by student lodgers and the girls, from US, Donegal, Columbia, and Barcelona, were all lovely to visit with.  Tomorrow, another day.

The Peace Bridge

The lovely River Foyle

The Guildhall

We four attended Mass at St. Eugene Cathedral located two blocks away –  its great youth choir sang wonderfully. After a simple breakfast at neighborhood Brooke Park, we planned an afternoon drive through County Donegal. First stop, the ancient 12th century stone fortress of Grianan of Aileach with a far off view of the River Foyle and the green Northern Ireland countryside. Sheep galore along the route! Next, we drove to the water’s edge to see Dunlee, a strategic U.S. military post in WWII.

Then, Cora drove us to Swan Park for a loop walk along its river park and the coastal beach walk which she loves. Heading out of Donegal over and through hills of family dairies and sheep ranches, we paused for pub drinks then hit the road back to Derry.  Picking up Kelly, Eleanor’s younger sister, we feasted on pizza. A great day out of doors.

Carbo-loading with an Irish breakfast.

Grainan of Aileach – Cat and Eleanor along the walk.

Sweet girls catching up…

Whimsical faery house along Swan Park’s walking path. These abodes pop up everywhere in Northern Ireland wooded spaces, a tradition to house the wee spirits.

Dublin has been lovely to know but now, off to Derry we go!  Dear friend Cora and her daughters Eleanor and Kelly await us for a few days.  They are a part of our Holy Names High School family, returned home for a while, and we feel lucky to be able to see them after a year or so.  Eleanor studies law at Queen’s University in Belfast and has come home in time to spend it with us.

The Busarus Station in Dublin had a 12:15 bus trip that took us through beautiful, green spaces dotted with cozy, colorful farmhouses and well-manicured gardens and fields.  We packed sandwiches and other goodies to enjoy on the trip.  Friendly riders gave us a seated tour of the areas and villages we passed through.  Now and then we dozed while weaving our way towards Northern Ireland (U.K.) and our final destination.

Cora picked us up as planned – it was so great to see her. She delivered us to Clarence House, two doors from her place, then dashed off to pick up Eleanor from her rail trip from Belfast. We had a reunion dinner near their Lawrence Hill neighborhood. After we entered the walled part of Derry to Pather’s Pub to enjoy live music and a Guinness, or two.

Waiting at the depot.

Our Derry nest, Clarence House

Reunion dinner, Cat and Eleanor

One gate at The Wall.

Live Dublin pub musicians. “Oh, oh, I wish I was back home in Derry!”

Ahh, it’s good to sleep in!  Not exactly sure if it’s jet-lag, the time change, or Vacay relaxation kicking in but we need to step it up if we want to keep up with Cora and Eleanor.

Eleanor’s good recommendation for us was to take the City Tour of the Wall – it was a perfect introduction to this grand port city.  So much history here in Ireland with the earliest people struggling to survive then having to contend with northern invaders.  Fast forward to 17th century struggles between King James I and William of Orange, the Catholics, the Protestants and then most recently to The Troubles of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.  This town has lived to survive, with reconciliation paving the way to peace and unity.  On the wall promenade, we saw and heard stories of the two sides of Derry which are now committed to remembering the lives lost and planning for its peaceful future.

For dinner, we ate at Clarence house, delicious fish pies, salad, and wine.

Atop the wide Wall that overlooks Derry.

Inside the city, St. Columb’s Cathedral, 1623.

Looking out onto modern Derry and the neighborhood where The Troubles of the 70’s played out. Murals of remembrance are painted on some of the walls down below.  Now, there’s peace.